Tigers Drop Hurricanes 5-3 in Medicine Hat

MEDICINE HAT - Penalty trouble proved costly again as the Medicine Hat Tigers scored three times on the man advantage and once on a penalty shot as they beat the Hurricanes 5-3 Saturday night.

Not a good start for the Hurricanes in this game. 56 seconds into the opening period, Medicine Hat was awarded a penalty shot when Nick Walters tried to knock the puck off the stick of Myles Koules. The Medicine Hat forward was given the penalty shot and he made no mistake, beating Teagan Sacher to make it 1-0. The Tigers would keep it coming. A few minutes later Medicine Hat got two great chances back-to-back and both times they put the puck off the goal post. They would eventually jump ahead by a pair when the Hurricanes got caught with too many men on the ice. On the ensuing power play, Medicine Hat's Cole Sanford scored to make it 2-0. Before the end of the period though, Lethbridge got one of those back when Jamal Watson got behind the defence and scored his 16th goal of the season. That cut the Tigers lead to 2-1. The Tigers hit the post for a third time shortly after that Lethbridge goal. The scored remained 2-1 Tigers after 20 minutes. The shots favoured the home team 14-11.

In the second, the Tigers deadly power play would click twice in the first 3:05 of the period. The Hurricanes Tyler Bell took a major penalty near the end of the first period for a hit to the head. Medicine Hat made the Canes pay in the second. Kyle Becker scored on the man advantage to make ti 3-1. Just 1:04 later, the Tigers struck again on the same power play, when Dylan Bredo scored to put Medicine Hat ahead 4-1. The Canes didn't have many chances in the second frame with only 8 shots on goal. The Tigers took a three goal lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes of play. The shots favoured the Tigers 27-19.

In the third, the Tigers would add to their lead. A great passing play finished off by Myles Koules who scored his 2nd of the game to give Medicine Hat a 5-1 lead. The score stayed that way until the final few minutes when the Hurricanes ended up scoring a pair of goals. Giorgio Estpehan got his 12th of the season on a power play to cut the lead to 5-2 and then just over a minute later Reid Duke tipped a Jamal Watson shot for his 14th of the year to make it a 5-3 game in favour of Medicine Hat and that's the way this game would end. The Tigers out shot the Canes 40-29. Lethbridge went 1/5 on the power play and the Tigers a perfect 3/3. That was difference right there.........special teams! The loss is the Hurricanes 5th in a row and drops their overall record to 12-46-2-3 in 63 games.

Next Up

The Hurricanes have nine games remaining in this WHL season and next week they head on their final road trip of the year. The Canes will play four games in five nights starting Tuesday (Feb. 25) is Regina against the Pats. Regina is playing its best hockey of the season right now. They're in first place in the East Division and second place overall in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes will then play in Brandon on Wednesday (Feb. 26), Moose Jaw on Friday (Feb. 29), and then cap off the swing with a game Saturday (March 1) in Swift Current. All these teams, with exception of Moose Jaw are fighting for their playoff lives so I expect some high tempo games. All four match ups start at 6:00 pm MST. The pre-game shows on CJOC at 5:30. 

Thanks,

Pat